<--- Modern Animal: Sugar Glider The Black Glider The black glider, also known as niger labor lapsus, is a small marsupial native to Australia and Southeast China, as its previous ancestors had. The black glider has evolved to become bigger in size (around 40cm long) and has longer and stronger hinds. Their furs are pure black except for their tail which is tipped with white. The most significant feature is their eyes. They have large forward facing eyes that are especially designed for night vision and to detect infrared radiation.
The black glider is named after the animal’s pure black fur and its ability to glide from trees to trees. This applies to its binomial name as well, niger means black in latin. Whereas labor lapsus is the latin word for glider. These small possums are found in rainforests of Northern Australia and Southeastern China 100 millions years after present. The following report provides information of the future animal of sugar glider and how it has evolved into an animal with better adaptations including structural, behavioral and physiological.
Taxonomy of the black gilder Diagram FIgure 2: Diagram of the black glider Source: Hand drawn
Habitat Although the black sugar glider lives in 100million years time, its habitat is very similar to its ancestors. Figure 3 is a map of the world in 50 million years time, the red highlighted parts show the distribution of the black gliders. Due to continental drift, Australia is collided with Southeast China and that is where sugar gliders live.
The black gliders are found in areas with tropical climate. They favor warmth as their body temperate is 35 Celsius (which is very similar to humans) and for this reason they live in the northern part of Australia where it is close to the equator. Also, tropical areas tend to have high rainfall, which means that they inhabit high density areas. The heavy rainfall will not be a problem for the gliders since the trees will provide a shelter for it. These small marsupials are found in tree of rainforests most of the time. They will be living in the under storey layer of the rainforest, which is in between the canopy and the forest ground floor. The under storey is where most of the animals in the rainforests lives, it is the homes of many birds, snake and lizards. This layer of the rainforest is also convenient since it is close to the ground, allowing the gliders to collect food from the forest floor.
The black glider’s habitat is also strongly linked to its food source. Similar to merrkat they are omnivores, they feed on small vertebrates, insects, leaves, fruits and seeds. To collect these food easily, the small gliders live near the water source. The under storey layer also provides numerous insects for the animals to consume.
Adaptations Structural adaptation 1: Longer strong hinds and arms The Black glider has evolved to have longer and stronger hinds. Having longer hinds and arms means that the patagium of the glider has also extended, creating a bigger “wing.” With this extended patagium and strong hinds, the black glider can glide for a longer distance as well as travelling at a higher speed. This way they can escape from their predators more easily at the same time gaining a higher chance of catching their prey. They can also escape from dangerous situations such as earthquake and volcanic eruption faster. Therefore increasing its survival rate. Possible environmental pressure leading to the development of this adaptation is due to the fact that the small bodies of these possums are easily captured by predators. As a result, they developed longer arms and hinds to travel faster making it more difficult for predators to catch them and to escape from dangerous situations efficiently.
Structural adaptation 2: Stronger tail The ancestors of the black glider used to have a weak tail, the tail is only used for balance while they glide. The black glider has developed to have a strong tail that can carry resources such as sticks and leaves to build their nests. The small possums can also hang on trees like monkeys do, this aids them in gathering food. For example they can reach into narrow places and collect seeds etc. They can also travel faster with stronger tails, instead of gliding they can swing from trees to trees with their tail. Possible environmental pressures leading to this adaptation may be due to the fact that the black glider’s ancestors have weak tails and gliding is not possible in every occasion such as packed area. As a result they evolved to have strong tails allowing them to travel in another way.
Behavioral adaptation 1: Being both nocturnal and diurnal The ancestors of the black glider are all nocturnal. The small possums are the first to develop into become both nocturnal and diurnal like hippopotamus. They are nocturnal most of the time, however when it is necessary they can be diurnal as well. This adaptation helps them in collecting more food, since they can hunt both at night and during daytime, having a wider variety of food. Also, being both nocturnal and diurnal means that their adaptability to changes in environment is higher. When there is a dangerous situation they can escape from it immediately no matter what time of the day. Their productivity is also higher than other animals, since they can work all day and night to collect resources. The increasing number of predators at night time and insufficient food are some environmental pressures leading to the adaptation of being both nocturnal and diurnal. Overall being both nocturnal and diurnal is a big advantage of the black gliders.
Behavioral adaptation 2: Hunting together These gliders have always been classified as having a small body meaning that they are easily attacked by other bigger animals. Hunting in groups, like wolves, enables black gliders to become more powerful. First of all they can gather more food, secondly they can attack relatively large vertebrates allowing them to consume more protein. If these small possums do not cooperate together, they will not be able to collect sufficient food without over stressing. An environmental pressure that has raised this adaptation is that there may not be enough food and they are easily killed by other predators. With this adaptation, they can strengthen up and collect more food.
Physiological adaptations: Ability to sense infrared radiation The black gliders have a unique ability, they can sense infrared radiation. As a result they can see the radiant heat, or thermal image, from the surrounding 3 meters. This is a very remarkable adaptation, they can spot their prey and predators easily. With this adaptation, they can catch their prey much more easily. Also, the chance of them being caught by their predators has decreased. Environmental pressures leading to this adaptation is the increasing number of predators and insufficient food source.
The Black Glider
The black glider, also known as niger labor lapsus, is a small marsupial native to Australia and Southeast China, as its previous ancestors had. The black glider has evolved to become bigger in size (around 40cm long) and has longer and stronger hinds. Their furs are pure black except for their tail which is tipped with white. The most significant feature is their eyes. They have large forward facing eyes that are especially designed for night vision and to detect infrared radiation.
The black glider is named after the animal’s pure black fur and its ability to glide from trees to trees. This applies to its binomial name as well, niger means black in latin. Whereas labor lapsus is the latin word for glider. These small possums are found in rainforests of Northern Australia and Southeastern China 100 millions years after present. The following report provides information of the future animal of sugar glider and how it has evolved into an animal with better adaptations including structural, behavioral and physiological.
Taxonomy of the black gilder
Diagram
FIgure 2: Diagram of the black glider
Source: Hand drawn
Habitat
Although the black sugar glider lives in 100million years time, its habitat is very similar to its ancestors. Figure 3 is a map of the world in 50 million years time, the red highlighted parts show the distribution of the black gliders. Due to continental drift, Australia is collided with Southeast China and that is where sugar gliders live.
The black gliders are found in areas with tropical climate. They favor warmth as their body temperate is 35 Celsius (which is very similar to humans) and for this reason they live in the northern part of Australia where it is close to the equator. Also, tropical areas tend to have high rainfall, which means that they inhabit high density areas. The heavy rainfall will not be a problem for the gliders since the trees will provide a shelter for it.
These small marsupials are found in tree of rainforests most of the time. They will be living in the under storey layer of the rainforest, which is in between the canopy and the forest ground floor. The under storey is where most of the animals in the rainforests lives, it is the homes of many birds, snake and lizards. This layer of the rainforest is also convenient since it is close to the ground, allowing the gliders to collect food from the forest floor.
The black glider’s habitat is also strongly linked to its food source. Similar to merrkat they are omnivores, they feed on small vertebrates, insects, leaves, fruits and seeds. To collect these food easily, the small gliders live near the water source. The under storey layer also provides numerous insects for the animals to consume.
Adaptations
The Black glider has evolved to have longer and stronger hinds. Having longer hinds and arms means that the patagium of the glider has also extended, creating a bigger “wing.” With this extended patagium and strong hinds, the black glider can glide for a longer distance as well as travelling at a higher speed. This way they can escape from their predators more easily at the same time gaining a higher chance of catching their prey. They can also escape from dangerous situations such as earthquake and volcanic eruption faster. Therefore increasing its survival rate. Possible environmental pressure leading to the development of this adaptation is due to the fact that the small bodies of these possums are easily captured by predators. As a result, they developed longer arms and hinds to travel faster making it more difficult for predators to catch them and to escape from dangerous situations efficiently.
Structural adaptation 2: Stronger tail
The ancestors of the black glider used to have a weak tail, the tail is only used for balance while they glide. The black glider has developed to have a strong tail that can carry resources such as sticks and leaves to build their nests. The small possums can also hang on trees like monkeys do, this aids them in gathering food. For example they can reach into narrow places and collect seeds etc. They can also travel faster with stronger tails, instead of gliding they can swing from trees to trees with their tail. Possible environmental pressures leading to this adaptation may be due to the fact that the black glider’s ancestors have weak tails and gliding is not possible in every occasion such as packed area. As a result they evolved to have strong tails allowing them to travel in another way.
Behavioral adaptation 1: Being both nocturnal and diurnal
The ancestors of the black glider are all nocturnal. The small possums are the first to develop into become both nocturnal and diurnal like hippopotamus. They are nocturnal most of the time, however when it is necessary they can be diurnal as well. This adaptation helps them in collecting more food, since they can hunt both at night and during daytime, having a wider variety of food. Also, being both nocturnal and diurnal means that their adaptability to changes in environment is higher. When there is a dangerous situation they can escape from it immediately no matter what time of the day. Their productivity is also higher than other animals, since they can work all day and night to collect resources. The increasing number of predators at night time and insufficient food are some environmental pressures leading to the adaptation of being both nocturnal and diurnal. Overall being both nocturnal and diurnal is a big advantage of the black gliders.
Behavioral adaptation 2: Hunting together
These gliders have always been classified as having a small body meaning that they are easily attacked by other bigger animals. Hunting in groups, like wolves, enables black gliders to become more powerful. First of all they can gather more food, secondly they can attack relatively large vertebrates allowing them to consume more protein. If these small possums do not cooperate together, they will not be able to collect sufficient food without over stressing. An environmental pressure that has raised this adaptation is that there may not be enough food and they are easily killed by other predators. With this adaptation, they can strengthen up and collect more food.
Physiological adaptations:
Ability to sense infrared radiation
The black gliders have a unique ability, they can sense infrared radiation. As a result they can see the radiant heat, or thermal image, from the surrounding 3 meters. This is a very remarkable adaptation, they can spot their prey and predators easily. With this adaptation, they can catch their prey much more easily. Also, the chance of them being caught by their predators has decreased. Environmental pressures leading to this adaptation is the increasing number of predators and insufficient food source.
Ask nature (2010.) Receptors create thermal image: pit viper, retrieved 27th of July from: http://www.asknature.org/strategy/c90d536656b2e9166dff8946678c350d
Animal plante (2010.) Galleries, retrieved 26th of July from:
http://www.yourdiscovery.com/web/animalplanet/galleries/nocturnal-animals/